Author Notes: Let's play a little game: who can come up with the most reasons for why they hate Maximillian Pegasus? Please review if you want to see the next chapter!
"Croquette."
"Yes, Master Pegasus?" The head of security was at his employer's side in an instant. The competitors and their guests were feasting in the dining room, but Pegasus had gone to a room beyond them.
"Get me those children's bodies back."
"Yes sir."
"And Croquette, have them taken to the tunnels."
"Yes, Master Pegasus." Croquette bowed and left to follow his orders.
Even if I lose their souls, I can still use them in a blood sacrifice, Pegasus contemplated coolly. The power will be temporary, though. I'll need to use it fast, which means, win or lose, I'll have to leave as soon as my duel with Yugi-Boy is over. Otherwise they may try to claim the bodies before I have a chance to use them.
"Is he really that smart?" Mai asked incredulously as she and Seth walked together towards their guest rooms.
"He's a genius," Seth answered. "I've never met anyone smarter than him."
"If he's already graduated high school, he must be at least half as smart as you say he is." Mai thought it touching how enamored Seth was with his host. It was the most fitting word she could think of to encompass both his affection and his awe. Seeing Seth talking about Seto was actually pretty sweet. Seth seemed to implicitly trust Mai, maybe because they'd once been on the verge of making love. Whatever the reason, he was eager to speak about the tall brunette that had captured her attention on the ferry to the island, and she was eager to listen.
"He does his best for his brother, and when he—" Seth froze, his eyes narrowing as he tilted his head to the side slightly. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Mai stopped too, even though she'd heard nothing. Before Seth could answer, they were both grabbed from behind and knocked unconscious before they even had a chance to fight back.
Seth woke up before Mai. He was stiff and cramped, his hands bound with rope. He and Mai were seated back to back on a limestone floor, and the whole room smelled quite familiar to him. On the very edge of his hearing, he could also hear voices.
Incense.
Limestone.
Chanting.
Seth forced his eyelids open, although they were reluctant to obey. He turned his head in the direction of the only source of light: a row of fiery torches a hooded figures. It made him feel strangely nostalgic.
"Hm. Wh-Where are we?" Mai muttered in a low voice, sounding quite confused, and rightly so.
"I don't know, but I'll get us out of here. Stay calm." Seth started to twist his wrists, working at the rope. It only succeeded in burning his own skin, though, so he reached out and found Mai's hands. "I'm going to untie you first, then you can untie me," he whispered. "Don't let them know that you're free, though. Let me handle this."
"Okay." She sounded scared, but calm, which was the best he could hope for. As he tugged at her ties, he turned his head to the side and scanned the room. Then a sickening sight caught his eye: Mokuba and Adina were bound at the foot of an altar on an elevated dais at the front of the room. On top of the altar was the Millennium Rod. Nobody had noticed that they'd woken up, the cultists too busy with the "duel" they were attempting with large stone tablets carved with the images of monsters.
Mai twisted her wrists free and started pulling on the rope that kept Seth's wrist's together. The former pharaoh's blood was boiling, and the moment he was able to, he slid one hand free and pushed away the rough rope.
"Close your eyes," he ordered sternly.
"Why?"
"Just do it," he hissed, his anger bubbling up within. "And no matter what, don't open them until I say you can."
"Alright." Mai squeezed her eyes shut. She was a strong, confident person, but this tournament, for some reason, seemed to be pushing her to her limits.
Seth stood and stepped forward, arm extended as he shouted something in Hieratic Egyptian, and as such, Mai couldn't understand him, which was for the best. If she could understand him, it would frighten her even more. Having interrupted the cloaked cultists in their magic chants, Seth was now the center of attention, even as one of the monster tablets began to crack; that's what happened when you had weak magic and you were interrupted.
The Millennium Rod had begun to glow and levitate above the altar when Seth spoke, and now it flew across the room to be snatched out of the air by the hand of its owner.
Mai, with her eyes firmly closed, heard angry voices shouting in a foreign language. Seth's voice rose above the sound of the others, steady and deep, drowning out all the others. She could discern a strong light behind her closed eyelids, and though she was tempted to open them, she was too afraid to do so. The other voices stopped speaking and started screaming in panic, gradually fading into oblivion.
Then all was silent.
"Mai."
She opened her eyes and saw Seth standing in front of her, holding out his hand. She placed her hand in his and stood shakily, with his help.
"We're taking the children back to the others. How long has it been since we left them?"
"More than an hour," Mai answered with a tone of surprise as she looked at her watch.
"We're going back to the dueling room, then." Seth still looked quite angry, but it was a calm anger. He gently lifted Mokuba in his arms for what felt like the dozenth time that day. "I'm going to settle things with Pegasus once and for all."
Mai picked up Adina, grateful that the child was small and light, making her easy to carry. "Do we know how to get back there?"
"I'll find our way," Seth said confidently. "I've been roaming this castle all day, so I should have little difficulty getting us back." He glanced at Mokuba pityingly as the adolescent rested on his shoulder, looking for all intents and purposes as if he were peacefully asleep and nothing more. Turning to his fellow duelist, he asked, "How do you feel?"
"A little shaken up," she admitted as they started ascending a hidden set of stairs. "But I once went skydiving in New Zealand, so my nerves can handle it. I'll be fine."
"Very well. Onward and upward, then."
"What... what exactly was happening back there?" she asked after a few moments. "Or, what was going to happen? I couldn't tell which it was."
"You'd rest more easily if you didn't know," the brunette answered gravely as they reached the top of the stairs and entered the dungeons. Pegasus' castle was more multi-leveled than anyone would guess from just looking at it.
"They've been gone an awful long time," Anzu fretted as she gazed at the thick black clouds enveloping both Yugi and Pegasus as they dueled.
"We can't send anyone after them, though," Joey said regretfully. "What if they get lost too?"
"What if they're not lost, though?"
"What do you mean, Marik?" Ryou looked frightened at the implications of Seth and Mai being "not lost."
"Pegasus has, um, what's the word?" Marik still struggled with Japanese, and he was speaking that now for the benefit of Joey and Anzu. They tended to get annoyed when Marik slipped back into Egyptian without meaning to and only Ryou and Seto could understand him.
"Security alarms?"
"Traps?"
"Henchmen?"
"Yes, that one!" Marik's eyes lit up as Joey provided him with the word he sought. "He has henchmen! They tried to stop Seth and I when we were rescuing the little ones."
"Of course he has minions." The blond teen narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Pegasus is a filthy, cowardly, nasty, motherfu—"
"There they are!" Ryou called in relief as Seth and Mai entered the balcony again, still burdened with the children. "What happened? What took you so long?"
"Pegasus' lackeys got us. Ryou, can you take Mokuba for me?"
"Sure." Ryou relieved the brunette of his twelve-year-old burden and carefully lay him on the floor, Mai doing the same with Adina.
"Pegasus' reign is over," Seth growled, extracting the Millennium Rod from his belt and twirling it impressively in his hand before holding it in an extended arm facing the mass of purple-black clouds swarming the Duel Arena. The Rod started to glow as the Eye of Ra simultaneously glowed on his forehead, his spirit invading the duel.
"Yugi, let me do this!" Yami insisted as the stubborn teen fought to keep himself on his feet. "The magic is too strong for you!"
"I must," Yugi insisted weakly. "Now, I play one card face-down and..." He swayed, the card slipping from his fingers to land on its space on the card-reader.
"Yugi, no!" Yami reached out to him with ghostly hands, but as the youth tipped backwards, a hand materialized behind him and stopped him from falling. Yami couldn't hide his shock as he stared up at Seth, who looked back at him with mutual respect, then turned to face their opponent. His hand was glowing with a warm, white light as he restored Yugi's energy.
"What are you doing here?!" the creator of Duel Monsters exclaimed with shock and fury. "This isn't possible!"
"I'm afraid it is, and your soul-stealing, body-snatching days are over." Looking at Yami and Yugi, who'd opened his eyes again and was looking perplexed, Seth said, "You two have been switching out during the duel to keep him from reading your minds, is that it?"
"Yes. It was working well up until he turned it into a Shadow Game," Yami answered, glancing down at Yugi in concern.
"If you want, you can merge together again. I can shield your minds for the rest of the duel."
"Thank you." Yugi's shadow inclined his head to Seth in gratitude. He didn't need to ask why Seth would be willing to help them like this. Not only was he a noble soul during the Monster World incident, he also desired for the six souls Pegasus had stolen to be set free. He missed Seto terribly.
"What's he doing, do you think?" Joey lifted a finger and was about to poke Seth's cheek.
"Joey! What are you thinking?" Anzu scolded, making the blond roll his eyes. "Don't be obnoxious!"
"I'm not being obnoxious!" he defended in annoyance. "I just want to make sure he didn't fall asleep standing up."
"I really don't think you should disturb him," Ryou interjected a bit anxiously, looking between Joey, Anzu, and Seth.
"He's helping Yugi. I already told you that." Marik jutted his chin and crossed his arms, a gesture he'd picked up from being exposed to the modern world. "I don't know why you won't believe me."
"I do, I just don't understand it." Joey squinted at Seth as he leaned closer in. "Someone dare me to touch him."
"I dare you!" Mai piped up, in the mood for some amusement.
"Don't encourage him," Anzu snapped, but that was all the motivation Joey needed. He lifted his hand and was an inch away from poking Seth in the face when the brunette blinked and awoke from his stupor. Joey cried out in surprise and leapt back, making the whole group of friends laugh as the solid shadows around the Duel Arena dissipated.
"Yugi Moto has defeated Maximillion Pegasus!" Croquette announced, making the teens, and Mai, cheer triumphantly. Yugi turned to look up at his friends, looking pleased and relieved. When Pegasus had invoked his shadow magic and turned their duel into a Shadow Game, he'd begun to fear that he'd never see them again.
"He's getting away!" Seth shouted suddenly as Pegasus fled the room. The tall brunette seized the balcony railing in both hands and vaulted over the edge, landing heavily on the platform below.
"What are you doing?" Ryou called, eyes wide as he tried to process what the spirit had in mind.
"Making sure he keeps his promise," Seth shouted back as he stood and turned to face them. "Once he sets their souls free, I'll get Duke and meet you outside!" He then turned and ran down the hallway at full speed. Luckily for him, Seto was quite fast, his strong legs able to carry Seth faster than Pegasus could run. Straight down one hallway, a right-hand turn at the end of it, then a short sprint that brought him close enough to tackle Pegasus to the floor.
"Release them now!" Seth growled, glaring down at the owner of the Millennium Eye. Their faces were inches away, Pegasus' natural eye filled with fear and frustration. "All of them: Mr. Moto, Duke, Adina, Mokuba, and Seto. Now."
"Alright, alright," Pegasus muttered in defeat. "You got me. I'll do as I promised to do, just let me up."
Seth did so reluctantly kneeling on the floor beside the pale-haired man as he pulled the five soul cards out of his inner coat pocket. He splayed them on the floor, and with his fingers splayed over the cards, his Millennium Eye glowed. The pictures on the cards glowed whitely, and after a few moments, just as the images and the light started to fade, Seth was filled with a lighting strike of magical energy.
Seto was despairing of ever being set free when something changed. He could feel his surroundings.
Water.
He was in freezing cold water, which filled him with panic, since he'd never learned how to swim. Never had the chance. For the first time since he'd been banished here, he recovered his sense of direction.
Up.
He knew where up was. Up was paired with the vague light. He fought his way up towards the light, and encountered a solid, translucent surface.
Ice.
He bashed his fists against it. He wanted to breathe again. He wanted to feel alive.
A pair of hands plunged into the water from somewhere nearby and grabbed a hold of Seto's, yanking him in the direction of the hole. Seto latched on and, feet kicking, was hauled out of the icy water. He gasped and gulped in air, shivering as he dripped water onto the floor. His savior's pair of strong hands seized him by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet.
"Seth," Seto sighed in gratitude and relief. Never before had he been happier to see the spirit. Seth didn't look happy, though.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded, giving his soaked hikari a firm shake. "In what universe did you think that plan would actually work? Did you think that ignoring me, alienating your friends, and risking your own life would actually get your brother back?"
"I'm sorry, I—"
"Damn right you're sorry! Do you have any idea how much I need you?" Tears filled Seth's eyes as Seto started to understand that Seth was only angry because... "I need you alive, your brother needs you alive, the whole world needs you alive!"
"What are you talking about?"
"That's not important right now," Seth sighed as he shrugged off his own cloak and wrapped it around Seto, pulling him close into a tight embrace. "Don't you ever scare me like that again," he continued sternly, although his anger was fading a bit now. "Do you understand, Seto?"
"Yes." Seto was still trying to catch his breath from being underwater. He put his arms around Seth in return, eager to soak in as much of his warmth as he could, since the chill of the ice had seeped into his very bones.
"I love you, musuko," the priest whispered.
Musuko. My son.
"I love you too." Seto wanted to call Seth his father, but he couldn't get the word out. It had been so long since he'd affectionately addressed anyone as his father that he didn't know how. So instead he whispered, "You're the best father I've ever had."
They held each other for a good long time, Seth warming the younger one with a subtle magic. They only pulled apart when Seto had a grand revelation.
"Wait, if I'm back, then does that mean—"
"Yes. Mokuba's free too. All of them are." Seth smiled reassuringly, pushing Seto's wet bangs off his face so that he could see his eyes more clearly. "We need to free Duke then meet the others outside. He was handcuffed to a bed, and I didn't have the key. I figured you'd know how to get him out."
"And, the kids?" Seto ventured.
"Adina and Mokuba are with the others," Seth assured, still smiling. "They're safe. Come, let's rescue Duke and take you back to your brother."
Seto woke up kneeling on the floor. Five blank cards lay in front of him with a small silver key on a string. Pegasus was long gone.
That must be the key to Duke's handcuffs. The metal matches them, Seth commented as Seto hesitantly picked up the cards.
Should I keep these? he asked hesitantly.
Better we have them than somebody else. If we have them, then at least we know they're not being used against innocent people.
Fair enough. Seto stood unsteadily, still shivering a bit from the cold of the arctic pool in his soul-room where Pegasus had imprisoned him. At least he wasn't still soaking wet. Alright, Seth. Which way do we go to find Duke?